Fire-escape



(No Model.)

G. HE-IDEL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented May 1,1883.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVOS HEIDEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,815, dated May 1, 1883.

Application filed January 20, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gos'rnvos HEIDEL, of thecity of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Fire-Escapes, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a building, showing my improvement applied. an enlarged detail section of the track and wheel-guards, showing the wheels in front view, and also part of one of the brackets and ladders. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side view ofsame, and Figs. land 5 are diagrams illustratin g different manners of securin g the brackets tothe building, inv Fig. 4 the arms being bent and extending over the top of the building, where they are made fast, this being the manner of attachment where escapes are applied to erected buildings, and in Fig. 5 the arms being straight and extending into the walls of the building, this being the manner of attachment where escapes are applied during the erection of buildings.

My invention relates to a fireescape that can be quickly brought to any part of the building where it is needed; and my invention consist in certain features of noveltyhereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a building, and B B tracks secured thereto just beneath the cornice by suitable hangers or brackets, 0, preferably consisting each of an arm, 0, which is made fast to the building, as described, having branches 0? 0 whose lower ends are turned inward and upward and secured respectively to the tracks, as shown. The tracks may be made of solid iron or gas-pipe, and, as

shown in Fig. 1, extend around the corner or corners of the building, so that the' ladders can be moved to any part of the building where most needed.

D D are grooved wheels resting on the tracks respectively, and connected by an axle, E, on which they may have journal-bearing,

Fig. 2 isor to which they may be rigidly secured, the axle turning with them, preferably the former.

Surrounding the grooved wheels are guards F F, supported by the axle, and being open at bottom, as shownin Fig. 2, to allow them to pass the brackets. The guards servethe double purpose of keeping dampness from the wheels, which would rust their journals, so that they would not turn freely, and in winter time exclude snow and sleet, which would prevent the wheels from turning, and the further purpose of preventing the wheels from being thrown from the tracks, as their lower ends extend beneath the tracks, as shown in Fig. 2.

Suspending from the axle E is a chain ladder, G, of suitable construction, which reaches to or nearly to the ground or sidewalk when its lower end is not incased in a suitable box, H, secured to the building, as it would be when the escape is not in use. In case of fire the box would be opened, the lower end of the ladder removed, and the escape moved to the part of the building where most needed by a person taking hold of the lower end of the ladder, which may be provided with handles G, if desired.

A building may be provided with any desired number of these escapes, and as the wheels travel on two parallel tracks the escapes can always be moved with ease to any part of the building.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the two wheels providedwith guards F, and running on parallel tracks supported by suitable brackets, of the fire-escape ladder suspended from the axle of said wheels, substantially as described.

2. In' a fire-escape, the combination of tracks B, supporting brackets 0, wheels D, guards F, axle E, and chain ladder G, all substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

GUSTAVOS HEIDEL.

'In presence of- GEo. H. KNIGHT, GEO. D. KNIGHT. 

